NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges, who is coming into the 2023-24 season as the player that everybody will have their eyes on, has had a busy summer. He played a huge role for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and even rated out as the best player on the team despite how dominant Anthony Edwards was.
“I think just playing for USA and having an opportunity is a different feel,” Bridges said when asked at Brooklyn’s Media Day on Monday what representing America in FIBA play was like. Team USA, in large part because of Bridges, was considered one of the few teams in the tournament who had a legitimate shot at winning the gold medal.
Unfortunately, the Americans did not win any of the medals and to Bridges, that was a tough pill to swallow. However, he is putting the World Cup behind him and focusing on this season for the Nets.
“Coming into this year not having three different teams,” Bridges continued in his explanation of what excited him about this season for Brooklyn. “Expectation for us is to win games and like I always say, playoffs for me and then go from there. I don’t see why we shouldn’t make the playoffs at all.”
While most expect Brooklyn to be competing for a spot in the play-in tournament at best, especially now that the Milwaukee Bucks have traded for superstar Damian Lillard, Bridges appears to have the utmost confidence in his team and what it can do. Bridges, one of the optimistic people in the NBA, looks to have taken a leadership role on the Nets and isn’t running away from the responsibility.
“Yeah, it’s been great,” Bridges said when asked about what it’s been like to have head coach Jacque Vaughn put more on Bridges’ plate. Vaughn said previously that he wanted to ask more of Bridges as Brooklyn tries to make it back to the playoffs this season. “Being able to do what I do scoring a ball and passing, facilitating, getting everybody involved. That’s something great for me,” Bridges continued.
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